A New Hope: Reading the Life of Luke Skywalker
by Langdon
Summary: Shortly after Anakin Skywalker is named onto the Jedi High Council, he learns of his life of his son, the hero of the future Alliance to Restore the Republic. . . .


**Disclaimer: I am not George Lucas, Ryder Windham, or any other Lucasfilm Ltd.**

This is the reading order:

**Yoda**

**Mace Windu**

**Ki-Adi-Mundi**

**Plo Koon**

**Saesee Tiin**

**Anakin Skywalker**

**Kit Fisto**

**Coleman Kcaj**

**Shaak Ti**

**Agen Kolar**

**Stass Allie**

**Obi-Wan Kenobi**

**Bail Prestor Organa**

**Padme Amidala**

**Mon Mothma**

* * *

_Bail's POV_

Prince Bail Prestor Organa, Senator from Alderaan, walked beside his colleagues Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo and Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila. They had meeting with the Jedi High Council. They had discovered a strange holobook that they thought the Jedi needed to hear about. It might have something to do with the growing unrest in the Senate.

Bail observed the twelve Jedi on the Council: There was the ancient Grand Master and General Yoda, the Korun Jedi High General Mace Windu, the Cerean General Ki-Adi-Mundi on Mygeeto, the Kel Dor General Plo Koon on Cato Neimoidia, the Iktotchi General Saesee Tiin, the Nautolan General Kit Fisto, the Vurk General Coleman Kcaj, the Togruta General Shaak Ti, the Zabrak General Agen Kolar, the Tholothian General Stass Allie on Saleucami, the newest member of the Council General Anakin Skywalker, and Bail's close friend General Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Negotiator.

Mon stepped forward. "Masters. We have located a holobook that may be of interest to you. It seems to tell the future. Listen to this:

**A New Hope**

**A New Hero**

**A New Jedi**

This may tell of a future hero we may have. I suggest we read it. It is entitled

**A New Hope: The Life of Luke Skywalker**"

The Chandrilan Senator showed the Council a book with the picture of young man on an ice planet wielding a blue lightsaber.

General Skywalker leaned forward in interest. "That looks like my lightsaber. Is there a reason that Jedi shares my name?"

"We don't know, General," said Mon.

"It is strange, Anakin," said Obi-Wan. "You didn't break the Jedi Code, did you, son?"

Bail noticed that Padme exchanged looks with Skywalker, and wondered if the Jedi was the father to her child.

"Why don't we read and find out," Skywalker said.

General Yoda took the book from Mon and said, "Correct you are, young Anakin. But discuss the relationship between you and young Senator Amidala we will later."

Yoda opened the book and read, "**Prologue**

_**"Do you ever wonder about our father, Leia?" Luke asked.**_

__Bail noticed the other Jedi lean forward in interest. They wanted to know who these two individuals Luke and Leia's father was.

So did he.

_**"No," Leia said without hesitation. "I never do."**_

_**Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa**_

__"Organa?" Bail repeated. "Am I their father?"

He saw Padme and Skywalker frown. They had obviously believed Skywalker to be the father. Bail could tell.

_**were on board the **_**N****ew Hope_, a _Dreadnaught_-class heavy cruiser that currently served as the flagship for Mon Mothma,_**

Mon frowned. She appeared to not recognize the name of her supposed cruiser.

_**the recently elected chief counciler of the fledgling New Republic.**_

__"_New _Republic?" Mon asked. "What happened to the Old Republic?"

"Maybe the war destroyed the Republic," Bail commented.

"I hope not," said Padme.

"Well, it looks I'm now the equivalent of Supreme Chancellor in this book," said Mon.

_**They were in a meeting room near the cruiser's command deck, standing before a wide viewport that overlooked a small red planet orbiting a bright sun.**_

_**"Oh," Luke said. "I don't know how to say this, but . . . well, it's been months since he died, and I think there are some things we should talk about. I know you're still upset about how he - "**_

_**"Tortured me?" Leia interrupted. "Stood by and did nothing while Grand Moff Tarkin destroyed the planet Alderaan.**_

__Bail held up his hand. "Wait, what? Destroyed Alderaan? Who is this Tarkin? How - ? Alderaan - ?"

The Prince's voice faded away, as he was left with a feeling of utter hopelessness. How could Alderaan be destroyed? It was his home. He was where he and his family, the House of Organa, lived. If it was destroyed, Breha would be dead. He couldn't live with that. He needed his home. Without that, he only had the plain apartment on Coruscant. What kind of monster could destroy something as beautiful as Aldera. It was like destroying a cultured society.

With his home, Bail was nothing.

_**Cut off your hand? Killed more people than we'll ever know?" She gestured to the red planet outside the viewport and added, "Do you have any idea how many Chubbits died on Aridus because of Vader?**__**"**_

__"So that's their father," said General Kcaj. "Some Grievous-like monster called Vader."

"But where do the names Skywalker and Organa come in though?" asked General Ti. "Who is this Vader?"

_**Luke knew a great deal about the unfortunate Chubbits, but he remained silent.**_

_**As Leia gazed into space, she said, "It seems everywhere we go, we find more of Vader's victims, more evidence of his horrific service to the Empire."**_

__"What Empire?" asked Padme, her eyes narrowed. "What happened to the Republic?"

No one had an answer to her question.

_**She shook her head. "Why would I even want to think about that monster?"**_

_**"Because our father wasn't just Darth Vader," Luke said.**_

__"Their father was a Sith, then," said General Fisto. "Darth Vader. This would mean that he could be a fallen Jedi."

Bail saw Skywalker's eyes widen in apprehension. He worried that he _was _their father.

The Prince, however, now knew that he wasn't.

* * *

_Anakin's POV_

_**"He was also Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi.**_

__Anakin leaned forward. "What? _I_'m this Darth Vader? How could I have fallen to the dark side?"

"Anakin," said Padme and Obi-Wan in shock.

"How could this have happened?" Mace Windu wanted to know.

"I don't know, Master Windu," said Anakin. "How could I - "

"No," said Windu. "How is it that you are the father of these two? You would have had to have formed an attachment with someone . . . Senator Amidala, perhaps?"

The former Queen of Naboo didn't even flinch at the famous intimidating stare of Mace Windu.

"Yes, Master Windu," said Padme. "We fell in love. It was you and Master Yoda who sent us to Naboo before the war."

Anakin and Obi-Wan stared at the Senator in shock at her boldness. No one had ever stood up to Mace Windu like that in either of their lifetimes.

"And I am pregnant," the Senator from Naboo admitted. "Pregnant with Luke and Leia, it seems."

Windu opened his mouth, but then decided not to comment.

_**I've tried to tell you what happened on the Death Star at Endor,**_

__The Jedi and Senators frowned. _Death Star?_

"What in the Force is a 'death star'?" asked Obi-Wan.

He received no answer.

_**how he saved me from the Emperor and - "**_

__"Don't worry, Anakin," said Obi-Wan. "It looks like you returned to the Jedi."

"Yes, before I died," said Anakin. "We need to find this Emperor, to make sure this never happens."

_**"Saved you?" Leia said. "Luke, as I recall, Vader **_**d****elivered **_**you to the Emperor."**_

__"I sent my son to someone who is likely a Sith Master?" said Anakin in complete disbelief.

_**She sighed. "I know you believe that Anakin Skywalker returned in the end, and if that's how you prefer to remember him, as the Jedi hero who destroyed the Emperor,**_

__"See, Anakin," said Obi-Wan. "You eventually fulfilled the prophecy. You destroyed the Sith by returning the light side and killing your former Master. You successfully brought balance to the Force."

"But did I?" Anakin asked. "Because of me, the Republic was brought to its knees. I allied with the Sith Emperor."

"Darth Sidious," said General Kolar. "It is clear that he is the Emperor."

"Clear this is not," Yoda said. "But true it probably is."

_**that's your decision. But you can't expect me to do the same, because **_**my**_** father, Bail Organa, the man who raised me, **_**he _died on Alderaan."_**

"So that's it," Senator Organa said, looking at Padme. "I raised your daughter. I must have died with Breha, though, when Alderaan was destroyed."

Anakin couldn't hide his disappointment that Leia did not think of him as her father. He had obviously been greatly consumed by the dark side.

_**"I'm sorry, Leia," Luke said. "I just thought - "**_

_**"You thought wrong, Luke," Leia said. "I have more important things on my mind than this. In case you haven't noticed, the Empire didn't die with the Emperor.**_

__"See, I brought the galaxy far into darkness," said Anakin. "Even after Sidious and I die, the Empire is only slightly decimated. It could take another few years for them to actually fall."

_**We don't know how many Star Destroyers are still in service. Moff Harlov Jarnek has blockaded Spirador.**_

__"Grand Moff? Moff?" Senator Mothma repeated. "What do these titles mean? Are they a form of Palpatine's new governors? After all, Wilhuff Tarkin was promoted to Governor recently. If that's who Grand Moff Tarkin is, then . . . "

"It's very likely that Moffs are high-level governors," Organa finished.

_**Hundreds of planets still need our help." She moved away from the viewport. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend. The Chubbits are justifiably cautious of offworlders, but I'm determined to convince them that an alliance with the New Republic is their best defense against the Empire." She turned and walked for the meeting room's exit.**_

_**Alone in the room, Luke returned his gaze to Aridus. He'd visited the desert planet before.**_

__"Is that the desert planet Luke is shown to be on, on the back of the book?" asked Kcaj.

"No, Master Kcaj," said Anakin grimly. "That's Tatooine."

_**Except that it had a single sun, he'd found it very similar to his own homeworld, Tatooine.**_

__"A dry, hot hell, you mean?" said Anakin.

"What happened to me?" asked Padme. "Leia was raised by Bail on Alderaan. Luke grew up on Tatooine. I mean, I know Darth Vader killed you, Anakin." She refused to admit that the Sith and the father of her children were one and the same, it hurt her and, she knew, him. "But what about me?"

_**So much had happened since the day he'd left Mos Eisley Spaceport with Ben Kenobi on the **_**M****illennium Falcon_._**

"Ben Kenobi, huh?" repeated General Tiin. "That you, Obi-Wan?"

The Stewjonian frowned. "I don't know. Why would I be going under the name of Ben?"

"If so," said Anakin, "then my son and I were trained by the same man."

Obi-Wan smiled.

_**Back then, his greatest desire had been to have adventures on other worlds.**_

__"It's not anymore?" asked Ki-Adi-Mundi.

"Appears not," said Anakin.

_**He'd never imagined that he would eventually encounter the father he'd been told was dead, discover that Princess Leia was his sister, or become a champion of the Rebel Alliance.**_

__"I know what he means," said Anakin, deciding to believe that he would never be Vader, that he and Darth Vader were two separate people. "For six years, I was a slave on Tatooine. I never expected to be trained by a Jedi Knight, destroy a droid control ship, and become the hero of the Jedi Order and a member of the Jedi High Council." _Even if the Council doesn't trust me, _he added silently to himself.

"What's the Rebel Alliance?" asked Organa.

"Obviously a rebellion against the Empire," said Mothma. "It probably originates from our Delegation."

The Jedi glanced at the three Senators.

"What Delegation?" asked Windu.

"We formed the Delegation of 2000," said Organa. "We believe that Palpatine is gaining too much power in the Senate. And it looks like we were right. He is most likely the Emperor."

"Or it was a coup d'etat," Anakin replied defensively.

"Yeah, I don't believe the Chancellor is _evil_," Padme agreed.

"Enough of this," said Yoda. "Read I shall, and learn of this tyrant's identity we will."

_**But despite his accomplishments and many good friends, Luke sensed there was something missing in his life, as if part of him were somehow incomplete. The Empire had destroyed nearly all records of the Jedi Order,**_

__"Were the Jedi wiped out, too?" asked Anakin in shock. "How could I have participated in this?"

"You were Vader, not Anakin," Padme said firmly. "You are not the same."

Anakin nodded.

_**including any information about Anakin Skywalker, leaving Luke with many questions about his place in the universe.**_

__**Can I avoid my father's mistakes?**

"Yes," said Anakin, "because I won't make those mistakes, I tell you."

**Are all the other Jedi Knights truly gone?**

"Let's hope so," said Kit.

**How can I be a good Jedi when I know so little about them?**

_**Despite Leia's apparent lack of interest, Luke believed it was important for him to find out more about the life of Anakin Skywalker.**_

__**How can I know myself if I never really knew my father?**

_**He had no idea whether gaining such knowledge would make him feel wiser or more fulfilled. All he knew was that he still felt alone and out of place, just as he'd felt when he was a little boy, growing up on a desolate moisture farm in the desert wastes of Tatooine. . . .**_

__"Owen and Beru," Anakin said. "They probably raised him."

"Maybe," said Yoda, "but at an end the chapter is."

"I will read next, Master," said Mace. "**Chapter One **. . . "


End file.
